Biscuit Beef Empanadas are a soft, pillow-like version of regular empanadas. Using buttermilk milk biscuits as the base, instead of a crunchy pie crust or pastry wrappers, creates these mouthwatering appetizers or small bites. For a healthier recipe, switch out the ground beef for ground turkey. This recipe is a perfect party platter or appetizer because they are bite size, finger food that will have you coming back for more!
Since these are home-made empanadas, you will have to get your hands dirty, flattening the dough and creating little oval shapes. Also, a great activity to do with kids. Each empanada comes out different and imperfectly perfect.
These biscuit beef empanadas yield 16 empanadas, about 2 per person. You could also make 32 mini empanadas, by breaking each biscuit into quarters if you were serving a big group of people. There are 8 biscuits in a package, each biscuit divided into 4 equal pieces, making 32 mini empanadas.
Tasty and Easy Biscuit Beef Empanadas
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 (16 ounces) package jumbo buttermilk biscuits
- 1/4 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 cup yellow onion (about 1/3 of a large onion), chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
1. Start by cooking the ground beef in a skillet and discarding grease.
2. Once the ground beef is browned, add bell peppers, black beans, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, onion, garlic, ketchup, salsa, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for a few minutes until everything is thoroughly mixed and the peppers and onions begin to soften. Turn the stove off and set mixture aside.
3. Next, divide the eight biscuits in half, leaving a total of 16 pieces. On a cutting board, start to roll a biscuit piece into an oval shape, spoon out about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon beef mixture onto the oval and fold over and completely seal the edges together. I used a little bit of flour to help roll the dough out and prevent it from sticking to my cutting board. Then take a fork and press all along the edges. Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat fifteen more times, until you’ve used all the biscuit pieces. You may have some beef mixture leftover.
4. Lastly, whisk one egg and one tablespoon of water in a bowl and lather on the top of the empanadas.
5. Bake at 375°F for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown.